History of Kanauj to the Moslem Conquest c19.s2.t2.1

c19.s2.t2.1

The kingdom of Kanauj was swept away by the whirlwind of Moslem invasion, and so in order to understand the full circumstances of its destruction we now proceed to trace how step by step the arms of Islam penetrated into the heart of Hindustan. The Ghori chieftains, having established themselves in Ghazni, gradually turned their attention towards the alluring Moslem territories in the Panjab. Multan was wrested from the sway of the Ismailian sect of heretics in 1175 A. D., and a stratagem soon led to the capture of Uccha also.¹ Peshawar followed in 1179 A. D., and during the course of a series of expeditions conducted in the years 1180, 1184 and 1186 A. D., Sihābuddin eventually took Khusrau Malik prisoner. He also annexed Lahore, where he stationed Ali Kirmani, Governor of Multan, to manage the affairs of government.² Thus getting hold of the last remnants of the Ghaznavide empire, Sihābuddin Ghori, who aimed at founding a permanent dominion, began to devote himself systematically to the conquest of Hindustan. In the year 1190-91 A. D. he advanced against the strategic fortress of Bhatinda, which was probably within the territories of Prithvīrāja, and after its reduction he left there a garrison of over a thousand chosen horse and some foot under Malik Ziauddin Toozuky¹.